Thursday, December 16, 2010

Four years of Irtiqa!

The first post of Irtiqa was on December 16, 2006. It was on a new religious video game from the creators of the Left Behind Series. Well, just like the name "Irtiqa", I hope this blog has evolved as well - and hopefully for the better. At the time I didn't expect the blog to continue for more than six months. But it has turned out to be a fantastic learning experience and it has introduced me to some wonderful and smart people. Then earlier this year (January 20th, 2010), Nidhal joined Irtiqa for his weekly posts on Monday mornings. He brings in a unique perspective to the blog and I have enjoyed his writings tremendously.

But most of all, THANK YOU for sticking around, reading, and commenting on the blog. Your encouraging words, both on the blog and over e-mails, have been a fantastic source of inspiration. So thank you!

I came across this blog sometime towards the end of last year and have been following (though sometimes irregularly) what's happenning here. I have enjoyed reading most of the posts and more so on commenting and debating on some of them, especially the ones posted by Nidhal.

However, i am disappointed that some of my older comments here are no longer there. For example, i clearly remember making a comment (or perhaps two) on your post of Tuesday, October 13, 2009, titled 'Making sense of Al Jazeera's strange coverage of "Ardi"'. I am afraid it is no longer there. I did comment saying that Lina Malkawi's analysis of what Al Jazeera presented is not something that i would rely on or something of that sort. And i also mentioned something disagreeing to your criticism of Dr Zaghloul El Najjar.

May be more of my comments on other posts too will no longer be there for I often present views that (sometimes strongly) oppose the main theme line i get from this blog. I must check on this.

Not that i even can complain about any disappearance of my older comments. But that i am disappointed to see that they have indeed disappeared.

For the umpteenth time, there is no censorship on this blog. I have not removed a single comment from here. In fact, one comment that did not get published because of blogspot issues was posted by me separately. And you may notice that there are many comments that do not agree with the posts (for example see comments on the post criticizing Harun Yahya's idiotic atlas of creation).

But apart from what I believe about the lack of censorship, I really don't have much time to go back and delete your comments.

It is possible that you may have commented on Lina's blog directly, or may be there was some other issue, but I really don't mind having opposing comments on the blog.

No, I did not comment on Lina's blog. I have never commented on her blog. The particular comment i am talking about, I have commented here. And i remember writing the words "one woman's (or man's for that matter) interpretation of what Al Jazeera presented ...". I would not have used these words had i commented on Lina's blog for "one woman" in my comment was a reference I made to Lina.

I am not saying that you deleted my comment(s).

All I know is that my comment is not there. And i am pretty disappointed that it has disappeared.

I don't know why my comment(s) disappear. On the latest of this mytery, I SAW my comment published here before it vanished a few hours later. This is the commnet that you have posted from your email.

I just checked. Your last comment was caught in the spam filter (but not your first comment on the post). But I also checked for earlier comments, and did not see any others by you in the filter. I will keep an eye on it to see if it does that again.

This blog will evolve (irtiqa) into scienceatheismnews.blogspot.com over coming years.:-DKidding...this blog is zara hut ke in a sense that it touches a different subject and is a blend of science and religion. Most of the posts are very interesting.

What is Irtiqa?

Irtiqa is a Science and Religion blog. It tracks and comments on news relevant to the interplay of science & religion - with a focus on scientific debates taking place in the Muslim world. Irtiqa literally means evolution in Urdu. But it does not imply only biological evolution. Instead, it is an all encompassing word used for evolution of the universe, biological evolution, and also for biological/human development. While it has created confusion in debates over biological evolution in South Asia, it provides a nice integrative name for a blog that addresses issues of science & religion. For further information, contact Salman Hameed.

The blog banner is designed by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad. You can find all his creative endeavors at Orangie.

On Muslims and Evolution

Salman Hameed

Salman is an astronomer and Associate Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, Massachusetts. Currently, he is working on understanding the rise of creationism in contemporary Islamic world and how Muslims view the relationship between science & religion. He is also working with historian Tracy Leavelle at Creighton University to analyze reconciliation efforts between astronomers and Native Hawaiians over telescopes on top of sacred Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He teaches “History and Philosophy of Science & Religion” with philosopher Laura Sizer, and “Science in the Islamic World”, both at Hampshire College. Salman and Laura Sizer are also responsible for the ongoing Hampshire College Lecture Series on Science & Religion, and you can find videos of all these lectures below. Contact information here.